The Gridhttps://explorethegrid.space
Science, Exploration and Travel News from Lat LongThu, 17 Jan 2019 13:32:30 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.2Watch The Hypnotizing Rotation of Marshttps://explorethegrid.space/watch-the-hypnotizing-rotation-of-mars/
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 13:32:30 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=2103The past decade has given us amazing footage of Mars from orbit and from the ground but it wasn’t until I saw this video of assembled imagery that I realized I’d never seen a full rotation of its surface anywhere.

]]>The World Below: Incredible 4K Time Lapse From The ISShttps://explorethegrid.space/the-world-below-incredible-4k-time-lapse-from-the-iss/
Mon, 14 Jan 2019 22:31:55 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=2099Bruce Berry compiled assorted ISS 4K video feeds to create a beautiful and immersive trip around the world as only a few get to see it. As the era of ultra high-definition orbital footage continues to produce incredible gems like this, hopefully we’ll all get a bit more of the “overview effect“.

]]>Our 2018 Client Gifts: Science and Exploration Bookshttps://explorethegrid.space/2018-gifts/
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:30:23 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=2067Read More]]>Annual client gifts are a fun tradition that give us an excuse to get the things we’ve been eyeing all year. We try to avoid the frivolous, the disposable and the self-serving; instead our gifts are things that we’d like to receive ourselves which have lasting value and represent the spirit of Lat Long, without being plastered in our branding. Our theory is that something meaningful and useful will be reminder enough of our focus on tangible success and craftsmanship.

This year has been a banner year for adventure and travel writing – dozens of “coffee table” books were published that have left us yearning for more coffee table space. So we decided that helping our clients build their own exploration libraries would be the focus of our 2018 gift list.

Honorable Mentions

These books were on our list of consideration, but didn’t quite match any of our recipients’ interests. While we didn’t gift them to anyone, they could definitely be a great gift for someone this holiday season or throughout the year!

]]>The 8 Cases of Whiskey Hidden Around The Worldhttps://explorethegrid.space/the-8-cases-of-whiskey-hidden-around-the-world/
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 14:30:32 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=2061In the late 1960s, Canadian Club hid 25 cases of their whiskey in remote locations around the world and launched a marketing campaign to encourage adventurous fans to seek them out. Over 50 years later, at least 8 remain undiscovered (or at least, unreported).

The cases were hidden in destinations like Mt. Kilimanjaro, Angel Falls, Death Valley, Tonga and more. Some of the undiscovered cases are believed to be in Lake Placid, Loch Ness, Yukon Territory and Robinson Caruso Island waiting for some enterprising (and very lucky) person to stumble upon them.

]]>Did Ancient Greeks Visit North America?https://explorethegrid.space/did-ancient-greeks-visit-north-america/
Fri, 14 Dec 2018 14:00:32 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=2059We have a general rule of thumb: if a headline ends in a question mark (?), the answer is almost always “NO”. This is no exception but is one of the times where a better answer is “probably not, but maybe”!

In a recent paper, Ioannis Liritzis, an archaeologist at the University of the Aegean, along with his co-authors examined the writings of Plutarch to discern the meaning behind one of the tales. In it, a character talks of a grand adventure from which he’d recently returned. He describes it as a long voyage to a distant “great continent” which travelers would make the trip roughly every 30 years, when the planet Saturn appeared in the constellation Taurus.

Using this and other context clues, Liritz’s team examined solar eclipse records to ballpark date such a voyage to 56CE and they examine a number of possible explanations for how and why these sailors might have made such a journey.

In the end, the conclusion is that it’s certainly possible but not altogether probable given the lack of archeological and metallurgical evidence. But the entire theory is a fascinating read that explores the potential fora while chapter of unknown historical exploration.

]]>Shots From Above: The World From The Serenity Of A Gliderhttps://explorethegrid.space/shots-from-above-the-world-from-the-serenity-of-a-glider/
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 16:26:14 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=2054Photographer Chris Dahl-Bredine had a terrible ski accident in the 90s which drove him to start looking at the way the world works and how everything fits together. Part of this journey was him learning to fly and he fell in love with the openness of seeing things from a hang glider. Eventually, he built his own motorized glider and took to the sky to photograph the world from above.

The result is a beautiful view that evokes a sense of the Overview Effect without leaving the atmosphere.

]]>Photos From the Ode to Muir New York City Premierehttps://explorethegrid.space/photos-from-the-ode-to-muir-new-york-city-premiere/
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 19:32:26 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=1975Last night, over 150 people joined us for the New York City premiere of Ode to Muir, the latest film from Jeremy Jones and Teton Gravity Research. The result was an awesome party with sweet gear giveaways from our headline sponsor Paragon Sports and we even raffled off a skateboard from SHUT Skateboards that was signed by Tony Hawk!

All the proceeds from last night’s event went to benefit Protect Our Winters, a global non-profit focused on mobilizing the snow sports community against climate change. Paragon Sports contributed $600 on top of our donation based on a percentage of all North Face, Patagonia, Burton and Paragon gear sold in the store last Saturday!

Our guests modeled their Alpine best with our friends from Trusty Photography and struck some awesome poses!

Of course the most fun of the night was everyone getting cozy in the winter scene:

]]>Ode to Muir NYC Premierehttps://explorethegrid.space/ode-to-muir-nyc-premiere/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:26:22 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=1969Read More]]>On Monday, December 10th we’ll be hosting the NYC premiere of the newest Teton Gravity Research film, Ode to Muir, in the historic 1925 Jaffe theatre. Read all about how to attend here.

Our decision to host the premiere, and to donate all of the proceeds to Protect our Winters, was easy to make. We work with explorers, travelers and scientists. We wanted to give something back to that community, and make an awesome event for like minded folks to come together. We wanted to make an impactful donation to a cause that we believe in.

This film embodies a spirit that is in each of the Lat Long partners: that wilderness must be protected, treasured and enjoyed first hand, and that, as Muir once said, “in every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks…”. We build stories online in part to help spread that feeling around the world, and to help encourage others to get up and make their own stories offline.

We wouldn’t have been able to make this event possible without some awesome partners alongside us, like Paragon Sports, one of the oldest outdoor sports stores in the country (who has been in NYC since 1908), and SHUT, the first street skateboard company in NYC. Seeing our logo next to theirs is a proud moment for our team. A special thanks to them both for the help.

So, if you’re around at 7 PM tonight – stop on by. If you made it out to the premiere, thank you for your support and we hope you had a great time.

]]>The Insane Talisker Open Water Rowing Challengehttps://explorethegrid.space/the-insane-talisker-open-water-rowing-challenge/
Mon, 05 Nov 2018 18:58:18 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=1950Each year, a few dozen rowing teams set off from the Canary Islands and cross the Atlantic without an engine or sail. Rowing 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to Antigua, they’ll spend months battling waves, weather and themselves while pulling at the oars in 2 hour shifts. It isn’t so much a race as it is a group challenge – the spirit is one of mutual cooperation where boats with 1-4 crew members set off cross an ocean.

It’s called the world’s toughest row and perhaps most surprisingly, most teams actually finish. Of the last 38 to set off, 37 have reached the finish. The next race kicks off December 12 and as the date gets closer, you can follow the race tracker on the challenge website.

]]>Climb Everest With a First Person POVhttps://explorethegrid.space/climb-everest-with-a-first-person-pov/
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:44:57 +0000https://grid.latlo.ng/?p=1949In 2013, Elia Saikaly recorded hist entire ascent of Mt. Everest in HD video. The result is an incredible first person view of the challenges that face climbing parties amidst breathtaking scenery. Having read a number of accounts of the climb, I’ve built a mental image of various parts of the mountain but here you can clearly see milestones fo the climb and get a sense for how they affect the climbers. You can feel they tension of the Hillary Step and see why it is (was?) such a bottleneck with an infamous history.